PhD/PsyD How to get published

[freeprozac]

I have over four years of experience in academic research at different places, been on multiple projects and performed many tasks but never gotten my name on a paper. It is an incredibly annoying occurence and pretty sure it ended up costing me the PhD applications. Any advice is appreciated.

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[Justanothergrad]

It depends on the level of contribution you are making to the research, and that is likely to vary by the time spent in each lab since there are multiple. If you have been working in a lab for a length of time I would expect you to be able to take rather advanced roles in the lab. What have you been doing, have you talked to PIs about doing independent work as part of the projects you have been part of, did you wver talk about wanting to publish and volunteer to si whar waa needed, and have you been part of any products (posters)- a few questions to start.

 

[Pragma]

I have over four years of experience in academic research at different places, been on multiple projects and performed many tasks but never gotten my name on a paper. It is an incredibly annoying occurence and pretty sure it ended up costing me the PhD applications. Any advice is appreciated.

I wouldn't have expectations unless you had an agreement about getting involved in publications. Labs vary a lot on how they handle it. Students in one lab I know of usually have to be there 1-2 years at least before they get added to something. The best remedy is to take initiative and do your own project - do a poster, learn something, seeks some mentorship, and try to get a first-author publication yourself.

 

[calimich]

Agree with justanothergrad and Pragma that if you want to publish, it's advisable to communicate this to your research mentors. Also keep in mind that a publication is a "later" product -- it might be two or three years (and sometimes more) from the start of a project to the publication of a manuscript. Along the way however, there are usually poster presentations that you can be a part of. It's also possible to take a small chunk of the project (with advisor approval) and "make it your own." Are there other questions you can ask about the phenomena under investigation? What else are you curious about?

I'm assuming you're an undergrad student, and with my own undergrad research assistants I ask for a minimum 2-year commitment so they can at least participate in a poster presentation.

 

[freeprozac]

I'm finishing my Masters. The one lab I've been at the longest has kind of not done much this year (the year I was hoping to get a more advanced role), but I've been in regular touch with the Director, he knows me well and wrote me a recommendation but he for some reason didn't accept any PhD students this year. I've also been a volunteer at a hospital and the initial study didn't pick up, so I had to fight to try and find another study, it also didn't pick up and now finally a different one IS starting. I will talk about getting my name on it, wish I was more proactive and assertive in the past.

 

[Meteora]

Pubs are definitely a boon for your application and the recs people have given are great. Usually you don't get the chance to get on pubs off the bat, and it could take several months to over a year before you get the opportunity. Most of it is also self-oriented, meaning you have to talk to the grad students and your P.I. to really make it happen.

Having said that, they are also not necessarily a requirement for entry into grad school. I didn't have any poster presentations, much less a pub. But the depth of my research experience, quality of LORs, and fit with the labs I applied to are what I imagined carried me.

 

[Swan_13]

To echo what the other posters said, I was very clear with my UG advisor about wanting research experience. I was able to do a practicum and follow up with an independent study which culminated in two pubs. It was a lot of independent work, though.

 

[freeprozac]

Pubs are definitely a boon for your application and the recs people have given are great. Usually you don't get the chance to get on pubs off the bat, and it could take several months to over a year before you get the opportunity. Most of it is also self-oriented, meaning you have to talk to the grad students and your P.I. to really make it happen.

Having said that, they are also not necessarily a requirement for entry into grad school. I didn't have any poster presentations, much less a pub. But the depth of my research experience, quality of LORs, and fit with the labs I applied to are what I imagined carried me.

That makes sense! Thank you for sharing, this is a great point.

 

[Kadhir]

... they are also not necessarily a requirement for entry into grad school. I didn't have any poster presentations, much less a pub. But the depth of my research experience, quality of LORs, and fit with the labs I applied to are what I imagined carried me.

As another person who did not have pubs/presentations when applying to graduate school, I'm certainly inclined to agree. But it is good to keep in mind the trend of documented scholarship before entering the application cycle. It's a different game now, and in my very competitive subspecialty, I don't think I'd stand a chance. Posters are so easy to get and require little work, but will do much more at your level than having nothing.

 

[Meteora]

As another person who did not have pubs/presentations when applying to graduate school, I'm certainly inclined to agree. But it is good to keep in mind the trend of documented scholarship before entering the application cycle. It's a different game now, and in my very competitive subspecialty, I don't think I'd stand a chance. Posters are so easy to get and require little work, but will do much more at your level than having nothing.

Yep, that's a good point. Things are becoming only more competitive, unfortunately. One should definitely try to obtain posters/pubs if there is any opportunity to do.

 

[danibrittany]

The basic idea is to show the intent before joining any lab that you want to get published. Also, you need to enter a subject where you have the higher scope of performance. It is essential not to mix just research work with the research work that holds a lot of value. To avoid further disappointments, make sure that you clear your intentions from the beginning.

 

[846115]

deleted

 

[Justanothergrad]

Throwing this out there--- I am currently completing a fairly large meta-analysis on a subject closely related to the work my lab is doing. My mentor has agreed to be senior author on the paper, to double check my data analysis, and to edit/revise the manuscript. Mind you, most of the work I'm doing is being done independently, on my own time (it's a lot of time expended in the context of working full time...). To be fair, I have helped to publish a meta-analysis in the past, so I know what I'm doing for the most part, and I am comfortable using statistical software. However, I definitely don't think that completing a meta-analysis is above anyone's head. Meta-analyses are nothing to write home as far as use of creative energy goes, but it serves its purpose in terms of showing dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to be busy

Anything is easy to do when you use statistical software (ANOVA, Regression, Coefficient alpha, etc.) rather than do the hand-calculations, but if you are asked to defend why you made statistical choices or drew certain conclusions it becomes harder and it becomes worthwhile to understand the assumptions that calculation of that statistic makes. It's much harder to do it correctly. Meta-analysis has about a zillion statistics/assumptions that you need to know how to calculate and why they are used in order to do it effectively. Over-simplifying how difficult a meta-analysis is probably is not wise.

For instance,
Why use Hedges g versus Cohen's d for an effect size?
What use Pooled Tau squared versus non-pooled Tau squared for a moderator subclass?
What type of model are you using - fixed or random effect? What assumptions are different between them to justify your choice?
What assumption can be made from the non-significant Qwithin statistic for a Moderator?
What assumption can be made from a significant Qwithin statistic for a moderator subclass?
What type of distribution is the Q-statistic tested against? Did you use an ANOVA-analogue? etc etc etc.

 

[WisNeuro]

I agree with @Justanothergrad . Anyone can do a meta-analysis. Few people can do one competently.

 

[846115]

deleted

 

[Justanothergrad]

Understanding statistical assumptions is a matter of study....yes............though again, I'd argue, not above anyone's head who takes the time to learn...

Undergrads tend to have a poor understanding of statistics, even the statistically sharp undergrads don't tend to have as good of a background as frequently needed to do them correctly. There is a reason we spend years learning/perfecting them in grad/post-grad/real careers. Meta-anaysis is one of those complicated ones that looks deceivingly simple, especially with a program like CMA. There is a reason everyone doesn't do a meta-analysis. Not only is it a TON of work to review (another thing that is an acquired skill in grad school- undergrads dont know the terms used in the field) and code, but it's also just a complicated statistical process.

It should never be the 'easy project' someone should try and do to fill the time.

 

[Pragma]

In some ways the software is ruining people, especially those in programs with low research quality.

I had to hand calculate all of my matrix algebra before I even got to learn the code for mplus. There’s utility in that type of learning process - you actually have to know what you are doing.

 

[WisNeuro]

In some ways the software is ruining people, especially those in programs with low research quality.

I had to hand calculate all of my matrix algebra before I even got to learn the code for mplus. There’s utility in that type of learning process - you actually have to know what you are doing.

Did you do it barefoot in the snow? After that, did they let you use the computer where you had to feed it the punchcards.

 

[Pragma]

Did you do it barefoot in the snow? After that, did they let you use the computer where you had to feed it the punchcards.

Barefoot and uphill both ways to/from the library to read the microfilm versions of Cohen! You never question what is a small vs. moderate effect when you had to DDS that ****!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

We learned introductory matrix algebra, but never actually used it in-depth for example research questions in class. I agree there's something to be said for understanding the underpinnings, particularly depending on what stats you're using and what your role is in the research team.